Woo...Pig Sooie....

We had a wonderful weekend!!! We went to see the hogs play. I've been to see them in Little Rock, but this was my first game in Fayetteville. I had a blast! It was just cool to be at my first game at the University. There is definitely a lot of excitement there. It's catching.

Since the game started early, we didn't tailgate this time. The game had some interesting moments. The inclement weather caused the officials to suspend play twice. So a game that should have ended around 2:30pm, ended around 4:00pm. I know some people were really frustrated, some left early. We were there with some our best friends, so we really enjoyed just hanging out. We were excited to see the Hogs beat Ole Miss!

We decided to eat at Gusano's Pizza after the game. It is one of our favorite pizza places. The Chicago Style pizza is incredible. We enjoyed catching up with our dear friends. There's never a dull moment when we're hanging out. We were glad they were able to join us for a day on the hill.

A Shining Vacation

We visited Denver, Colorado in September. We've been to the Denver Airport in the past, but never stayed in the city. Jeremy had a Family Medicine Conference and I traveled with him. Most of the time was spent with Jeremy in sessions and me studying in the hotel room. We went out in the city most evenings. We ate some great Indian food, shopped, and took in the night life.

We were able to escape the last day for some sight seeing. We chose to travel north of Denver to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. We stopped at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. The hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining. The hotel was incredible. I can see why they picked that location, what a view. It would be a little spooky too, to be isolated during the winter months. Estes Park seemed very quaint. When we drove through town, elk stopped traffic crossing the road. It was very relaxing.

The next place we visited was Rocky Mountain National Park. WOW!!!! We enjoyed driving through the park. We stopped at several places to take in the glorious scenery. We enjoyed lunch at the top of one of the mountains. It was so nice to be in nature. It is times like these the worries of everyday life seem to fade away. It gives you true perspective about the important things. It was an incredible day!!! We returned home, informed and relaxed!!!!

Back to School.....

I can't believe this week is midterm for my graduate program. I chose to go back to pursue my masters degree in Gerontology. When I graduated from college, I remember saying, " I'm never going back to school." Never say never.

I began working as a Recreational Therapist in a Geriatric Psychiatric Unit. I had volunteered at a retirement center in college, but never really worked with the senior population. I had worked with preschool age children, after high school and in college. I loved that work too. I had so many wonderful experiences while working on the Geri Psych Unit. I had group sessions, music therapy, pet therapy, and social events. I learned so much from my work with the senior population. Seniors have so many wonderful experiences and the stories to prove it.

When I left the unit, I actually was going to change career course completely. I was going to work as a real estate agent. After a few months, I realized that wasn't really for me. I guess you never know until you try. So I was at a crossroads. I realized how much I enjoyed working with seniors. I realized, I missed it. I began to look at masters programs that offered a degree in gerontology. There was several good choices, but I decided UMASS Boston was the right program for me.

So here I am, working on my degree in a program I love!!! A family friend told me, that I would love working on my masters. He said, it was different from college, you are pursuing your passion. He was exactly right. It has been a lot of work thus far. There is lots of reading, writing, and projects. I have found even with all of they busyness, I am having the time of my life!

Celebrating a Milestone

We recently celebrated our dad's retirement. He is retiring after 31 1/2 years of work for Union Pacific Railroad. He worked in various areas while employed with UPR. He finished his career as a foreman for the Fort Smith to Little Rock crew.

We held the party at the Historic Depot in Russellville. My sister and I were so excited when we discovered it was available for events. Our dad actually worked in the depot, when were younger. The party was held in the afternoon so we decided to have a nacho bar, cake, and drinks. We enjoyed visiting with family and friends. It was really nice to be able to celebrate such an important milestone in our dad's life. He is a very giving and likable guy, it was great to let him be the center of attention for the hour!!!! The party was a success!!!

I admire my dad's dedication and work ethic to his job. So many people commented on what a joy he was to work with over the years. I know he enjoyed his work, but is excited about this new era in his life. He's a very active and social person. His calendar is already full of trips, projects, and appointments. I am glad he will finally have all the time he wants to pursue his favorite hobbies, archery and hunting. He deserves it!!!!

Back to the City

We decided to take a trip back to Little Rock/North Little Rock over the weekend. We had a lot of fun and did some errands while we were there. Our errands in LR/NLR, usually consist of Landers(oil change), Sam's Club, and shopping we can't do in Russellville.

We visited with some great friends on Friday night. We went to an art walk in North Little Rock. There were some really cool pieces, jewelry especially. We ate dinner at Ristorante Capeo. Food was amazing, octopus, eggplant parmesan, creme brulee. The drinks were wonderful too, an Italian margarita and long island iced tea. The restaurant is beautiful!!! A great choice for dinner out, feel like you are having a true Italian Dinner. We enjoyed catching up with our friends, hearing their exciting life news, laughing, and just enjoying the company.

Saturday we caught up with Jeremy's sis and her family. I can't believe how fast my nephew and niece are growing. We ate some pizza and walked around the arcade(I'm probably dating myself by using that term). We caught a matinee in the afternoon. Then got some Santo Dip from Santo Coyote. What a great weekend!!!!!

The Good Old Days

I can't believe August will be over in a few weeks. This summer has been busy and hot!!! Most of the summer our air unit at home has been on the blitz. It would start working, then leak. It would stop working, the leak would stop. Piece by piece the home warranty company replaced our air unit. So much of the summer has been spent at parents' houses or hotels.

I love history. I have often thought about the good old days when life was simple. I loved the fact that people had less distractions and perhaps more time. After this summer I realize that I was born in exactly the right time. I can't imagine living throughout every summer without air, not to mention other conveniences. I think our ancestors were definitely a tougher breed. I'm glad they paved the way for modern conveniences to be discovered. I learned not to take all the things we have for granted. Be thankful for everything, everyday!!!!!!

A Great Adventure

We visited Alaska the first week of July. It was so much fun!!! What a great place. We left on a cruise from Vancouver, Canada. We traveled to Icy Straight Point. We went on a whale watching trip, incredible. We saw humpback whales. They were really close to the boat. I didn't realize how big they are. This alone was worth the trip. Next we went for a nature walk. I enjoyed the walk the countryside was incredible, everything is so green. The guides hoped we might see bear on our walk. That would have been cool, but I didn't mind that we didn't encounter one. We visited Hubbard Glacier, very cold. We decided to sit on the deck to watch as the ship made it as close as possible. Large chunks of ice would fall off the glacier, the sound radiated. We decided we would go whitewater rafting while we were in Juneau. We had a blast!! This is usually not something I would be up for, but I absolutely loved it. The last day of the trip, we visited Ketchican. It was rainy. We spent the day sightseeing and had an amazing seafood lunch. This was our first trip to Alaska. Alaska might be a little cold for me to be a resident, but would love to visit again!